The Renal Disease Division of SUNY Downstate Medical Center at Brooklyn proposes to sponsor a series of one-day conferences entitled "Inner-City Nephrology". The tentative date for the first in a series of five annual conferences is May 3rd, 2002. The conference is necessitated by the unique issues associated with kidney diseases in the inner0city, ranging from the very high rates of kidney failure among US blacks, suboptimal pre-end state renal disease (ESRD) care, and epidemic of HIV-associated renal failure to lack of awareness about and access to kidney transplantation. Furthermore, issues specific to inner-city nephrology are rarely addressed in-depth at the key national and international nephrology meetings. The conference will tackle these issues and provide strategies for improving outcomes in renal care among inner-city residents. The target audience is non-nephrologist primary care providers, nephrologists and nurses-practicing in the inner- cities in the US. About 400 people are expected to attend. The overall goals of the conference are: 1) to raise the awareness of providers treating patients in the inner-city of the specific issues related to renal diseases in inner-city residents; and 2) to increase and enhance the level of nephrologic services they provide in order to improve outcomes. Speakers with requisite expertise in inner-city healthcare will address topics such as i): the burden of diabetes and hypertension and current status of pre-ESRD care in the inner-city; ii) Prevention, identification, and early detection of renal failure in inner-city residents; iii) Interventions to slow progression of renal failure in inner-city residents; iv) increasing awareness about kidney renal failure in inner-city residents; iv) increasing awareness about kidney transplantation/facilitating access to kidney transplants; v) Role of HIV infection in renal failure in the inner-city and vi) The intertwined role of nephrologist and non-nephrologist in care of inner city residents with renal failure.